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Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

Gravel Bikes in the Future

Old 08-31-18, 02:50 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
I'm surprised Moots doesn't have a Routt YBB out already.
Funny you should bring up the Moots Routt. That is actually the bike I am looking at. Either the standard or the Routt 45. Sucks that I didn't ride one when I was at a shop in the SF Bay area that had them to demo.
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Old 08-31-18, 03:38 PM
  #27  
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I picked up a full-suspension MTB (30lbs, with 2.2" tires) because some of the trails I ride were just a bit much for my cx/gravel bike (22lbs; with 40mm tires). It's certainly doable on the gravel bike, but I don't even have to think about my line on a full-suspension MTB. So then I tried riding my MTB to the trailhead, and even a short 4-mile ride to the trail seemed really slow. I'm not sure if a happy medium exists but that got me thinking about building up a drop bar MTB as a fun project. Agree with others that the market for such an offering might be extremely small.
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Old 08-31-18, 04:57 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by tFUnK
I picked up a full-suspension MTB (30lbs, with 2.2" tires) because some of the trails I ride were just a bit much for my cx/gravel bike (22lbs; with 40mm tires). It's certainly doable on the gravel bike, but I don't even have to think about my line on a full-suspension MTB. So then I tried riding my MTB to the trailhead, and even a short 4-mile ride to the trail seemed really slow. I'm not sure if a happy medium exists but that got me thinking about building up a drop bar MTB as a fun project. Agree with others that the market for such an offering might be extremely small.
Gravel tires and lockout on the MTB?
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Old 08-31-18, 05:13 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by tFUnK
I picked up a full-suspension MTB (30lbs, with 2.2" tires) because some of the trails I ride were just a bit much for my cx/gravel bike (22lbs; with 40mm tires). It's certainly doable on the gravel bike, but I don't even have to think about my line on a full-suspension MTB. So then I tried riding my MTB to the trailhead, and even a short 4-mile ride to the trail seemed really slow. I'm not sure if a happy medium exists but that got me thinking about building up a drop bar MTB as a fun project. Agree with others that the market for such an offering might be extremely small.
Depends on what the gravel/MMR is like in your area...if you have lots of non-compacted pea gravel, a proper drop-bar MTB can get bigger tires that don't sick into that awful stuff.
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Old 08-31-18, 09:41 PM
  #30  
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if Compass would make a 27.5x2.8 a hardtail with a suspension fork drop bar in road geometry would be a good gravel bike
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Old 08-31-18, 10:12 PM
  #31  
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I think you're joking but...

Felt made a rigid drop bar race bike designed around the 60mm or 70mm Schwalbe Big One tires. I think it was purposed designed for the beach racing they do in Europe. Guy and his wife had were each on one at an event I did in Alabama. It was a neat bike and the tires seemed to help him on the rough descents but he really suffered once we got the paceline up around 20-25 miles an hour and the short punchy hills seemed to just sap his energy. He dropped before the finish so I wasn't able to get a picture of his bike but if anyone knows the model please let me know I'm interested to see what it was/is. I didn't see anything on the Felt website.

Anyway, I think the point of diminishing returns is around 45-50mm width; any wider and the tires start slowing you down more than speeding you up on anything considered a gravel road.
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Old 09-01-18, 03:07 AM
  #32  
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Old 09-01-18, 09:31 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
Sometimes you do a ride that's 20 miles pavement, 30 miles gravel, then 15 miles of this. That last 15 miles might be a little nicer with squish.



yup, that's the 10%(totally made up, just highlighting its low) of gravel roads that could benefit from suspension.
i doubt most see anything like that.
Even still, a hardtail would be great. Full suspension still seems overkill.

but everyone has a passion and some love to abuse themselves on roads like that. Small market, but I'm sure it exists.
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Old 09-01-18, 09:59 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Spoonrobot
I think you're joking but...

Felt made a rigid drop bar race bike designed around the 60mm or 70mm Schwalbe Big One tires. I think it was purposed designed for the beach racing they do in Europe. Guy and his wife had were each on one at an event I did in Alabama. It was a neat bike and the tires seemed to help him on the rough descents but he really suffered once we got the paceline up around 20-25 miles an hour and the short punchy hills seemed to just sap his energy. He dropped before the finish so I wasn't able to get a picture of his bike but if anyone knows the model please let me know I'm interested to see what it was/is. I didn't see anything on the Felt website.

Anyway, I think the point of diminishing returns is around 45-50mm width; any wider and the tires start slowing you down more than speeding you up on anything considered a gravel road.
Not joking, If it's a race and speed I am looking for than I am not looking for a Gravel bike I am looking for a Cyclocross SuperX.
for anything less, a gravel bike will suffice.

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Old 09-01-18, 10:35 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
yup, that's the 10%(totally made up, just highlighting its low) of gravel roads that could benefit from suspension.
i doubt most see anything like that.
Even still, a hardtail would be great. Full suspension still seems overkill.
I used to think that until I rode a proper, recent, full suspension XC bike. Since then, money no object, if you want a front shock, you want a rear one too.

Alas, I'm too poor for $6000 bikes, so yeah, I ride my hardtail if I want to go fast. My olde full suspension bike is 28 lbs. -too heavy for going fast.
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Old 09-01-18, 11:17 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Sully151
Funny you should bring up the Moots Routt. That is actually the bike I am looking at. Either the standard or the Routt 45. Sucks that I didn't ride one when I was at a shop in the SF Bay area that had them to demo.
They are pretty nice bikes.

I wonder if they'd do a Routt YBB if you asked nicely... well, not you, but me, if I hit the lottery
Rear triangle looks ready to go: (I guess you'd lose a fender mount)


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Old 09-01-18, 11:51 AM
  #37  
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I wouldn't be surprised if they would/could for a pretty hefty upcharge. I know they will build custom geometry. Add the YBB and a Lauf True Grit fork and you would have a really rad $13k bike.
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Old 02-26-19, 04:09 PM
  #38  
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Moots Routt YBB with clearance for 45mm 700c tires

https://moots.com/bike/routt-ybb/
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Old 02-26-19, 05:27 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by xraydog
Moots Routt YBB with clearance for 45mm 700c tires

https://moots.com/bike/routt-ybb/
I saw this this morning. It’s cool, but again, is there really a need for suspension in gravel/adventure?
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Old 02-26-19, 07:32 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Sully151


I saw this this morning. It’s cool, but again, is there really a need for suspension in gravel/adventure?
Lauf has been in just exactly that business, and Cannondale and their lefty suspension fork have been too.

Granted...basically no one else's suspension product has had any holding power on dropbar bikes. Pinarello's infamous attempt with the K8-S for Paris Roubaix was a one-and-done-deal IIRC.
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Old 02-26-19, 08:27 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Marcus_Ti
Lauf has been in just exactly that business, and Cannondale and their lefty suspension fork have been too.

Granted...basically no one else's suspension product has had any holding power on dropbar bikes. Pinarello's infamous attempt with the K8-S for Paris Roubaix was a one-and-done-deal IIRC.
It’s interesting that Lauf just released a bike with no suspension.

the new Moots bike has 20mm in the rear, but nothing up front.
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Old 02-26-19, 08:33 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Sully151


It’s interesting that Lauf just released a bike with no suspension.

the new Moots bike has 20mm in the rear, but nothing up front.
Yea...I too noticed the Moots YBB being a hard-front bike. Granted the Lauf forks are all non-standard axle-crown length (409mm), so to make the same resultant geometry and handling they'd have to make a slightly-funny bike (relative to standard road forks of sub-400mm)...also the 240mb weight limit.
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Old 02-26-19, 10:11 PM
  #43  
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I solved the longer axle to crown issue on my bike with the fox ax by using 700c in the rear and 650b in the front. The fork raised the front by 2cm but the 650b brought it back down 2cm.
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Old 02-28-19, 02:54 PM
  #44  
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If I need more cush on a gravel bike I will just go with wider tires. If I get up to ~2.2” tires and I still need more I’ll look at suspension.

However, if I am riding terrian rough enough that a rigid bike with 2.2” tires is not cutting it, I am probably also going to want a flat bar, slacker geo, and lower gearing... in other words, a mountain bike.
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Old 02-28-19, 03:09 PM
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I can do most of the same things on my gravel bike (essentially a 38mm tire road bike with no suspension) that I can do on my 10 year old 26" FS Trek mountain bike, albeit with more caution. I've come to the cynical conclusion that part of the need for FS is the harsh mountain bike (aluminum) frame. The difference comes down to going around more technical obstacles rather than going over them. For what I cannot do on that bike, I have a rigid steel drop-bar 2.8" 27.5+ bike. I may at some point get a front suspension fork for that, but so far haven't bothered. I put a Stopshock Stem on it, FWIW.
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Old 03-01-19, 03:34 AM
  #46  
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So far as I have read in this thread no one is mentioning the Cannondale Slate with the Lefty front fork. My gravel bike, a Ritchey Outback, obviously has no suspension. I don't think that it needs it. If I am going out on some very technical trails with big rocks and drops, I would take my full suspension mountain bike, Tomac Revolver. But that said, the weight and slower feel of a suspended mountain bike is what makes the Ritchey so much more fun for me.
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Old 03-01-19, 05:40 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by Fox Farm
So far as I have read in this thread no one is mentioning the Cannondale Slate with the Lefty front fork.
Someone did mention it.

Last edited by Kapusta; 03-01-19 at 06:43 AM.
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Old 03-01-19, 07:57 AM
  #48  
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Unless you're riding 200 miles on rough gravel (which a small percentage of people actually do) or like to mix in some rough single track with your gravel (a much more common use case), you really don't need suspension on a gravel bike. Still, some people do want / need a full suspension drop bar bike. I'm sure such options will be common soon.

This is, to me, the true upside to the gravel market: the proliferation of a huge number of options to fit any niche possible. Regardless of the "gravel" label, these options are often exactly what some people are looking for. A few years ago, most of these options were only available through extremely expensive custom brands. Now, you can walk into a bike shop and select from a huge spectrum of off-the-rack options from the road bike-like to the mountain bike - like to fast touring bike to a bikepacking. The choice is awesome because you can tailor the bike to exactly your style of riding and preferences.
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Old 03-01-19, 08:46 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Hiro11
Unless you're riding 200 miles on rough gravel (which a small percentage of people actually do) or like to mix in some rough single track with your gravel (a much more common use case), you really don't need suspension on a gravel bike. Still, some people do want / need a full suspension drop bar bike. I'm sure such options will be common soon.

This is, to me, the true upside to the gravel market: the proliferation of a huge number of options to fit any niche possible. Regardless of the "gravel" label, these options are often exactly what some people are looking for. A few years ago, most of these options were only available through extremely expensive custom brands. Now, you can walk into a bike shop and select from a huge spectrum of off-the-rack options from the road bike-like to the mountain bike - like to fast touring bike to a bikepacking. The choice is awesome because you can tailor the bike to exactly your style of riding and preferences.
I love this point. Ten years ago when I was shopping for bikes, I ended up with a far racier bike than I ever needed, and while I've loved it as a road bike, my life has taken me to different locations and situations that the bike isn't as well suited for. If I had the choice then to get something like a modern gravel bike, it would have evolved and fit my needs much more adeptly over the years.

I'm curious if people think this trend will hold, or if the "do it all" bikes of today will naturally split into more specialized builds over time?
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Old 03-01-19, 09:52 AM
  #50  
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I've recently been playing with front suspension on my old rigid 26" mtb. That's coupled with a sprung B67 seat. I've never used such a fork before and, while it is heavier for sure, the dampening of jarring on some surfaces is pretty cool. There is some stuff I can roll over at a decent clip that I would have formerly had t go very slow for and washboard also seems a lot better.

I could see a light duty suspension fork on a gravel bike. It seems MTB is has split off towards downhill/technical and gravel or all roads is the new genre for non paved road surfaces and a rigid dropbar road design doesn't really capture all the variations you can find there.
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